This application claims the priority of German Application No. 103 43 381.3-12 filed Sep. 9, 2003.
The invention relates to a separable connection between two adjoining components, particularly vehicle body skin parts. Preferred embodiments of the invention relate to a separable connection between two adjoining skin parts of a motor vehicle body, which are fitted to one another along a joint, and in a common connection area, are provided with bent-away, locally adjoining flanges.
In the vehicle construction field, it is generally known to mutually connect adjoining components, particularly skin parts of a vehicle body, by means of welding.
In addition, it is known from German Patent Document DE-PS 1 277 042 to separably connect adjacent skin parts of a vehicle body with one another. For this purpose, a weld nut equipped with an internal thread is provided on a component, into which weld nut a screw can be screwed which is connected with the other component. In order to prevent a twisting of the two components with respect to one another during the fastening, several screwed fastenings have to be provided which are arranged in a mutually spaced manner.
From German Patent Application 102 42 787.9-12 (corresponding U.S. 2004/074048), which has not yet been published, a separable connection is known between two adjoining components, particular motor vehicle body skin parts, which are fitted onto one another along a joint and, in a common connection area, are equipped with bent away, locally adjoining flanges, the two components being mutually connected in the manner of a bayonet catch. For the radial rotation of a sleeve part of the bayonet catch, an auxiliary tool is required in the case of this arrangement.
It is an object of certain preferred embodiments of the invention to further develop a separable connection between two adjoining components, particularly skin parts of a vehicle body such that, on the one hand, a precise positioning of the two parts with respect to one another is achieved while the joint remains uniform and that, on the other hand, a fast and simple mounting of the two components is ensured without additional tools in a not easily accessible area.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, this object is achieved by providing a separable connection between two adjoining skin parts of a motor vehicle body, which are fitted to one another along a joint and, in a common connection area, are provided with bent-away, locally adjoining flanges, wherein the separable connection is formed by a clamping connection bracing the two flanges with respect to one another, which clamping connection comprises at least one plate-shaped fastening element with a slide-type elastic clamp, a head section of the plate-shaped fastening element being supported on one of the two components and the fastening element having at least one holding section which is guided through openings of the two flanges, which fastening element projects over the two flanges, and is provided with detent grooves aligned approximately parallel to the longitudinal course of the flanges, into which detent grooves the elastic clamp is inserted from the side in a slide-in direction.
Additional advantageous features of certain preferred embodiments of the invention are described herein and in the claims.
Advantages achieved by means of certain preferred embodiments of the invention are that, as a result of the separable connection according to the invention, the mounting expenditures, particularly the mounting time, are clearly reduced, and that no additional tool is required. According to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the clamping connection provided between the two flanges comprises a preassembled plate-shaped fastening element and a slide-type elastic clamp. A head section of the plate-shaped fastening element is supported on one of the two components and has at least one holding section guided through openings of both flanges, which holding section protrudes over the two flanges in the transverse direction and is provided with detent grooves aligned approximately parallel with respect to the longitudinal course of the flanges, into which detent grooves the elastic clamp is inserted from the side in the slide-in direction.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.